


The King Of Ice

by bluemisfortune



Series: ROAN AU [6]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 08:35:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10693374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemisfortune/pseuds/bluemisfortune
Summary: Chris and Kaito were once closer than anyone. Now, even around Kaito, Chris lives up to his title.





	The King Of Ice

**Author's Note:**

> A super early ROAN. Kaito is around 19 and Chris around 21 and it gets a little bit angsty.

 Kaito sighs, sitting on his chaser and watching Chris under it’s hood. Chris only comes into Heartland City for a few days a month unless there’s an event or emergency. Not that Kaito blames him after everything that’s happened.

 “Chris-”

 “You’re distracting, Kaito,” Chris says without looking up. “Go away.”

 “Chris-”

 “Go away.”

 Kaito lowers his head a little. He’s not really sure how to approach Chris anymore. He’d once been one of his closest friend. His mentor. The strongest Photon Paladin. Everything Kaito always hoped to be. A commanding leader, trusted and loved by everyone. Intelligent, handsome, charismatic but not to ever be underestimated despite his charm and beauty. A responsible, loving big brother, with a younger brother who looked up to him and loved him wholeheartedly. Siblings who shared all their secrets. Chris was perfect and Kaito’s heart had once fluttered every time Chris smiled at him.

 Now Chris will barely look at Kaito. His words are cold, his attitude colder. He didn’t serve with the Paladins in anymore. His exile to Silver Water was more self imposed than anything. The other Paladins had started calling their head mechanic The King of Ice.

 “Chris, I’m sorry, but it’s been years-”

 “Would you forgive if it was the other way around?” Chris says.

 “But it’s not,” Kaito argues. “This is ridiculous.”

 “Ridiculous?”

 

 Chris straightens up and finally turns his glare on Kaito. It’s not ridiculous. And Kaito wouldn’t ever forgive in Chris’ place. Chris had already forgiven their family too much. This entire mess had isolated Chris from the world, changed him into a man Kaito barely recognises.

 He stands before Kaito, looking the same as ever; hair pulled up into a loose bun to keep it off his face, blue boiler suit hanging around his hips, skin and clothes stained with oil and general mechanical muck - that would result in the King having Kaito’s head if any of it so much as touched his clothes. His thick leather gloves are worn and tattered and once upon a time Kaito would have enjoyed seeing Chris in such a revealing tank top. But this isn’t the same Chris that Kaito had shared a childish, teenage romance with.

 Kaito stands from his chaser, stepping forward towards him. He would give anything to fix his relationship with Chris. Even if it can never return to how it was, what’s wrong with wanting to have his friend back.

 “Chris-”

 “Thomas is dead because of you, Kaito.”

 Kaito closes his eyes for a moment. He knows Chris blames him. Lots of people blame him. The Paladins say he could have saved Photon Leo. He made the wrong choice and should have saved him. Those who knew of his double identity, even more so. Gauche and Droite, for instance. How could he have not known how it could end? And Chris, who knew both of his identities and who lost his baby brother. Kaito understands exactly why Chris blames him.

 “Look, Chris, I don’t know what happened between the two of them, I really don’t,” Kaito says quietly. “And you’re all right. I should have stayed. I should never have left him. I made a mistake and two people are dead because of me, I know that. Because I made that mistake. Don’t you think I know it’s my fault?”

 “I’m glad you accept what you caused,” Chris says, turning back to Photon Dragon’s engine. “Thomas didn’t do anything to deserve his death. You could have saved him and instead you let him die.”

 

 What happened on the day of Leo’s death haunted Kaito the past three years. He didn’t know. He didn’t understand how things had gone so wrong. He knows it’s his fault. He knows he could have saved Leo if he’d just stayed with Leo rather than letting him go alone. If he’d just paid more attention.

_“I can handle one little prince on my own, Dragon,”_ Leo had laughed as he’d pulled his chaser away. _“It’ll be faster if we split up. Yell if you find anything. I’ll come and save you. You’ll have to give your hero a thank you kiss afterwards though.”_

_“I think you severely overestimate how tolerable you are,”_ Kaito had replied. _“Don’t think I’ll come running to save you though, kiss or no kiss.”_

 The last words he'd had ever said to him. The Second Prince of Heartland had gone missing. Not unusual in itself, but they went to find him, just like they always did, assuming he’d turn up laughing at them for worrying. Just like he always did. They’d laughed and joked and Leo had turned away too search on his own.

 Next thing Kaito new, he was being called out to a forest clearing, staring at the blood on the pristine white Photon Leo, fallen helplessly on its side. It’s Paladin covered in a stained white sheet just a little way off, obviously thrown in the crash. For a few moments, Kaito had been able to believe it had just been a terrible accident. A horrible, hideous accident. It could have happened to anyone.

 Until he returned to the palace, barely able to carry his own weight, and the king informed him they caught the man who did it at the scene. That he’d said it was because Leo attacked him first, tried to kill him, that Leo was one of the rebels trying to overthrow the monarchy. He could never believe that about Leo. _Never_.

 

 “I’m sorry, Chris. I made a mistake. You can’t hate me for the rest of my life for a mistake. I think about it all the time, ok? I need you to help me still though. I can't do all this alone.”

 “You made your choice,” Chris replies, turning away and returning to the engine. “You let him die. In such a cruel way. You could have saved him and you chose not to. Tell me, if you were in my position, if I’d chosen to stand there and watch Haruto die, would you ever forgive me?”

 “I…”  It’s different. It’s not Haruto. And Kaito didn’t just stand there and watch, and he certainly didn’t _choose_ to! “I made a mistake, Chris, but Thomas made his choice too. This wasn’t me alone.”

 “But I’m the one who’s brother is dead,” he says, pulling off a glove. Kaito nods. He is sorry. He’s so sorry if had to be Thomas. “It’s only for the sake of what we once had, that I’ve been continuing like this. Think about it. Every time you go out, your life is resting on how well your chaser performs.”

 Kaito’s blood chills. He stares at Chris, watching Chris’ pale fingers brushing Photon Dragon’s body work. Is this really the same man who’d once been his dearest friend?

 “It’s lucky I still hold precious the times we once had, Kaito. And that you trust not to take out my frustrations over Thomas’ death on your chaser.”

 “I… I’m glad,” Kaito says with a forced smile. “I, uh, I think I should check on Haruto and let you keep working, so you can focus. I hope to see you before you leave again, Chris.”

 “Mm, goodnight, your highness.”


End file.
